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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA

Island-Hopping Adventure on Three Barrier Islands: St. Simons, Sapelo, Jekyll

Itinerary for Oct 14 — Oct 19, 2012

Description: The hotel is centrally located on St. Simons Island and close to everything the Golden Isles have to offer: the finest beaches and golf courses, restaurants, historical sites, water sports and shopping. Your resort hotel has an outdoor pool, rooms that overlook the golf course or tidal marshlands, and all of this in the surrounds of giant live oak trees. Each guest room has a small refrigerator and sink. The deluxe rooms are some of the largest standard guest rooms in the Golden Isles. With breathtaking views from a screened porch or sunroom overlooking the marsh or golf course, the recently renovated rooms offer two double beds, a large bathroom with double sink vanity, a refrigerator, coffee maker and a wet bar.

Facility amenities: Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort offers 27 holes of golf on three newly renovated courses. Enjoy spectacular views of the marsh while placing challenging shots over lagoons and beneath the majestic live oaks. Two pristine swimming pools, both with children’s wading areas, are located on the property. One is adjacent to the guest rooms and restaurant and the other is at the tennis and fitness center facility. Enjoy the tiki bar located beside the pool and the Putters Room and bar. For fitness enthusiasts, we are pleased to announce the opening of a new fitness facility as part of the existing tennis and fitness center. State of the art resistance and aerobic equipment will help keep you in shape while on vacation or attending a conference. Bicycles may be rented for full- and half-days at the Golf Pro shop. Biking is the perfect way to experience the beauty of St. Simons Island to its fullest. All guests of Sea Palms Golf & Tennis Resort may enjoy unlimited access to the St. Simons Beach Club, located right on the Atlantic Ocean and just a four mile drive from the resort.

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: Call for seasonal rate.Participants arriving early or staying late need to call the hotel and make arrangements. 912-638-3351 or 1-800-841-6268

Afternoon: Hotel check in is available at 4:00 pm at the Frederica Road Sea Palms Resort Registration and Check-in Center. After checking in at the registration center, come to the designated meeting room at the conference center located across the street (map will be given to you at check-in) to register with your Program Coordinator and pick up your arrival packet. Your coordinator will greet you at the conference center at 5:00 pm with your packet of information and name badge. Orientation will begin at 5:00 pm followed by dinner at 6:30 pm. We will review the schedule and any updates and answer any questions you may have.
Daily program changes may occur due to tide changes that dictate our marsh and beach walk. All activities described in your program will take place but the daily itinerary may have to be altered. We appreciate your understanding.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: Choose to visit with Road Scholar participants and your coordinator or retire to your room after dinner. We will start the morning with breakfast in the Putter's Club.

Description: The hotel is centrally located on St. Simons Island and close to everything the Golden Isles have to offer: the finest beaches and golf courses, restaurants, historical sites, water sports and shopping. Your resort hotel has an outdoor pool, rooms that overlook the golf course or tidal marshlands, and all of this in the surrounds of giant live oak trees. Each guest room has a small refrigerator and sink. The deluxe rooms are some of the largest standard guest rooms in the Golden Isles. With breathtaking views from a screened porch or sunroom overlooking the marsh or golf course, the recently renovated rooms offer two double beds, a large bathroom with double sink vanity, a refrigerator, coffee maker and a wet bar.

Facility amenities: Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort offers 27 holes of golf on three newly renovated courses. Enjoy spectacular views of the marsh while placing challenging shots over lagoons and beneath the majestic live oaks. Two pristine swimming pools, both with children’s wading areas, are located on the property. One is adjacent to the guest rooms and restaurant and the other is at the tennis and fitness center facility. Enjoy the tiki bar located beside the pool and the Putters Room and bar. For fitness enthusiasts, we are pleased to announce the opening of a new fitness facility as part of the existing tennis and fitness center. State of the art resistance and aerobic equipment will help keep you in shape while on vacation or attending a conference. Bicycles may be rented for full- and half-days at the Golf Pro shop. Biking is the perfect way to experience the beauty of St. Simons Island to its fullest. All guests of Sea Palms Golf & Tennis Resort may enjoy unlimited access to the St. Simons Beach Club, located right on the Atlantic Ocean and just a four mile drive from the resort.

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: Call for seasonal rate.Participants arriving early or staying late need to call the hotel and make arrangements. 912-638-3351 or 1-800-841-6268

Breakfast: A full service breakfast buffet will be served at the hotel.

Morning: BARRIER ISLAND DYNAMICS AND SHELLS AND INVERTEBRATES
The instructor for "Barrier Islands of Georgia" is a well known naturalist in the St. Simons area and is always a favorite at our Road Scholar programs. She will be talking about the dynamics of the barrier islands and the ecology. The purpose of this course is to learn about the diversity of upland and wetland habitats on the barrier islands of southeastern Georgia. Islands are unique ecological and evolutionary laboratories containing plants and animals that are especially adapted for the harsh physical conditions on islands. Also, each barrier island is different, biotically, because of historical accidents of colonization and extinction. Among the habitats we will explore are beaches, beach ridges, aeolian dunes, interdune swales, coastal scrub, slash pine maritime forest, sand pine forest, harwood maritime hammocks, and barrier island freshwater marshes, lakes, and ponds.

Lunch: Lunch will be at the hotel before leaving for the St. Simons Field Trip.

Afternoon: ST. SIMONS FIELD TRIP: Christ Church will be one of your stops as you explore St. Simon's Island. This lovely church has captivated visitors for years with its distinctive architectural design and majestic live oak surroundings. This modern day spectacle, like a vintage photograph, offers the Road Scholar viewer a peek into another time period. Ultimately, the widespread appeal of the site today may be linked to the 1880s generosity of Anson Dodge Jr., a man popularized by Eugenia Price in her book The Beloved Invader. A stopover at Fort Frederica will allow time to walk among the ancient live oaks while going back in time to review the history with a guide. Fort Frederica was established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe to protect the southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia from the Spanish in Florida. Colonists from England, Scotland, and the Germanic states came to Georgia to support this endeavor. Other stops on St. Simon's will include the lighthouse, tiny seaside village, avenue of oaks, and more.

Description: The hotel is centrally located on St. Simons Island and close to everything the Golden Isles have to offer: the finest beaches and golf courses, restaurants, historical sites, water sports and shopping. Your resort hotel has an outdoor pool, rooms that overlook the golf course or tidal marshlands, and all of this in the surrounds of giant live oak trees. Each guest room has a small refrigerator and sink. The deluxe rooms are some of the largest standard guest rooms in the Golden Isles. With breathtaking views from a screened porch or sunroom overlooking the marsh or golf course, the recently renovated rooms offer two double beds, a large bathroom with double sink vanity, a refrigerator, coffee maker and a wet bar.

Facility amenities: Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort offers 27 holes of golf on three newly renovated courses. Enjoy spectacular views of the marsh while placing challenging shots over lagoons and beneath the majestic live oaks. Two pristine swimming pools, both with children’s wading areas, are located on the property. One is adjacent to the guest rooms and restaurant and the other is at the tennis and fitness center facility. Enjoy the tiki bar located beside the pool and the Putters Room and bar. For fitness enthusiasts, we are pleased to announce the opening of a new fitness facility as part of the existing tennis and fitness center. State of the art resistance and aerobic equipment will help keep you in shape while on vacation or attending a conference. Bicycles may be rented for full- and half-days at the Golf Pro shop. Biking is the perfect way to experience the beauty of St. Simons Island to its fullest. All guests of Sea Palms Golf & Tennis Resort may enjoy unlimited access to the St. Simons Beach Club, located right on the Atlantic Ocean and just a four mile drive from the resort.

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: Call for seasonal rate.Participants arriving early or staying late need to call the hotel and make arrangements. 912-638-3351 or 1-800-841-6268

Jekyll Island Field Trip/Lunch At Renown Jekyll Island Club Hotel/Turtles of the Sea

Breakfast: A full service breakfast buffet will be served at the hotel.

Morning: HISTORY OF JEKYLL:The history of Jekyll Island will be presented at the Jekyll Island Museum by an historian followed by a short film about the Millionaire's Village. Afterwards you will board a tram for a look at the "millionaire's village" with entrance into some of the "cottages". Throughout its history, Jekyll Island is a place where people have imagined an alternative. People have come here to be different, and they still do. From Native Americans, to English colonists, to French privateers, to the members of the Jekyll Island Club - people have imagined Jekyll Island as a place where dreams can be built. The Island's present day prominence as a beloved vacation destination was prefaced by an era of unrivaled status and prestige. Beginning in 1886 and continuing for over four gilded decades, the Island was the exclusive domain of the renowned Jekyll Island Club - the winter retreat for some of America's most elite families. Today, the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District is a 240-acre, riverfront compound and one of the largest, ongoing restoration projects in the southeastern United States.

Lunch: Lunch will be at the renown Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Enjoy some free time after lunch to explore the shops, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, or just relax in the rockers on the porch of the hotel overlooking the intracoastal waterway. After your own exploration, you?ll board the motor coach and continue your look at the island before returning to St. Simons Island.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: Lecture on "Turtles of the Sea". Sea turtles are some of the largest turtles in the world and live in almost every ocean of the world. Their smooth shells and paddle-like flippers help them speed through the water as fast as 15 miles (24 km) per hour. These long-distance travelers have been known to swim up to 3,000 miles (4,828 km). Although sea turtles cannot withdraw their heads into their shells, the adults are protected from predators by their shells, large size, and thick scaly skin on their heads and necks. Your instructor will share with you the efforts being made to save the turtles, the turtle excluder devices used by the shrimping industry and more.

Description: The hotel is centrally located on St. Simons Island and close to everything the Golden Isles have to offer: the finest beaches and golf courses, restaurants, historical sites, water sports and shopping. Your resort hotel has an outdoor pool, rooms that overlook the golf course or tidal marshlands, and all of this in the surrounds of giant live oak trees. Each guest room has a small refrigerator and sink. The deluxe rooms are some of the largest standard guest rooms in the Golden Isles. With breathtaking views from a screened porch or sunroom overlooking the marsh or golf course, the recently renovated rooms offer two double beds, a large bathroom with double sink vanity, a refrigerator, coffee maker and a wet bar.

Facility amenities: Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort offers 27 holes of golf on three newly renovated courses. Enjoy spectacular views of the marsh while placing challenging shots over lagoons and beneath the majestic live oaks. Two pristine swimming pools, both with children’s wading areas, are located on the property. One is adjacent to the guest rooms and restaurant and the other is at the tennis and fitness center facility. Enjoy the tiki bar located beside the pool and the Putters Room and bar. For fitness enthusiasts, we are pleased to announce the opening of a new fitness facility as part of the existing tennis and fitness center. State of the art resistance and aerobic equipment will help keep you in shape while on vacation or attending a conference. Bicycles may be rented for full- and half-days at the Golf Pro shop. Biking is the perfect way to experience the beauty of St. Simons Island to its fullest. All guests of Sea Palms Golf & Tennis Resort may enjoy unlimited access to the St. Simons Beach Club, located right on the Atlantic Ocean and just a four mile drive from the resort.

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: Call for seasonal rate.Participants arriving early or staying late need to call the hotel and make arrangements. 912-638-3351 or 1-800-841-6268

Check in time: 4:00 PM

Day Four: Wednesday, October 17 - Marsh And Beach Walk/Lunch In Seaside Village/Fre...

Marsh And Beach Walk/Lunch In Seaside Village/Free Afternoon/Sapelo Island History

Breakfast: A full service breakfast buffet will be served at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: This morning your naturalist will lead you on an exciting beach and marsh walk. You will come away with new information about the marshes and beaches that will amaze you and probably surprise you at the same time. Wear tennis shoes and don't worry about the marsh walk getting your shoes wet and muddy. When the tide recedes the sand in the marshes is actually very hard and easy to walk on. Anyway, you will be on the edge of the salt marsh because, of course, we don't want to disturb the environment. The beach walk is beautiful at anytime of the year. You never knew so much life existed on the beaches and some of the things you thought were not life at all will turn out to be the home of some critter. It is a fun and exciting morning with one of the top instructors as your guide.

Lunch: Lunch will be at a local popular restaurant.

Afternoon: Your coordinator will be glad to tell you about places to go and see in the area that are not a part of your program. For people needing transportation to the village or other areas of St. Simons, a trolley is available at a cost of $10 per person. It will pick you up and return you to the hotel at a designated time. Participants are responsible for the $10 transportation fee. Our coordinator will be happy to make the arrangements for the trolley for anyone interested.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: SAPELO ISLAND HISTORY: This is an abbreviated history of Sapelo Island in preparation for your next days field trip. A local historian will come and present an informative overview of the island. You will have a wonderful day on Sapelo Island where few tourists even know to go. You will be one of the lucky ones to say, "I have been to Sapelo Island".

Description: The hotel is centrally located on St. Simons Island and close to everything the Golden Isles have to offer: the finest beaches and golf courses, restaurants, historical sites, water sports and shopping. Your resort hotel has an outdoor pool, rooms that overlook the golf course or tidal marshlands, and all of this in the surrounds of giant live oak trees. Each guest room has a small refrigerator and sink. The deluxe rooms are some of the largest standard guest rooms in the Golden Isles. With breathtaking views from a screened porch or sunroom overlooking the marsh or golf course, the recently renovated rooms offer two double beds, a large bathroom with double sink vanity, a refrigerator, coffee maker and a wet bar.

Facility amenities: Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort offers 27 holes of golf on three newly renovated courses. Enjoy spectacular views of the marsh while placing challenging shots over lagoons and beneath the majestic live oaks. Two pristine swimming pools, both with children’s wading areas, are located on the property. One is adjacent to the guest rooms and restaurant and the other is at the tennis and fitness center facility. Enjoy the tiki bar located beside the pool and the Putters Room and bar. For fitness enthusiasts, we are pleased to announce the opening of a new fitness facility as part of the existing tennis and fitness center. State of the art resistance and aerobic equipment will help keep you in shape while on vacation or attending a conference. Bicycles may be rented for full- and half-days at the Golf Pro shop. Biking is the perfect way to experience the beauty of St. Simons Island to its fullest. All guests of Sea Palms Golf & Tennis Resort may enjoy unlimited access to the St. Simons Beach Club, located right on the Atlantic Ocean and just a four mile drive from the resort.

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: Call for seasonal rate.Participants arriving early or staying late need to call the hotel and make arrangements. 912-638-3351 or 1-800-841-6268

Check in time: 4:00 PM

Day Five: Thursday, October 18 - Sapelo Island Day Trip/Lunch on Sapelo/Wine and C...

Breakfast: A full service breakfast buffet will be at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Your bus will leave early for the Sapelo Island day trip. Travel by ferry from Darien to Sapelo Island...about a 30 - 40 minute cruise. On Sapelo, a bus will pick you up and a guide will be with you throughout the day. You will be able to compare and contrast three islands...all different on your learning adventure. Indian occupation of Georgia's coast dates back at least 3,400 years. When Europeans arrived here in the 1520's, Sapelo Island was the province of Guale nation. Sapelo witnessed the territorial struggles between the Spanish, French and British and was eventually bought from half Indian princess Mary Musgrove by the British crown. It passed through the hands of several large land owners, including a group of French nobles fleeing the egalitarian revolutionary activities at home. In 1800, Thomas Spalding began purchasing portions of the island and eventually bought most of it. During the half century of Spalding's guidance, Sapelo was a thriving plantation, the scene of many agricultural experiments. During the second half of the 19th Century, devastation of the South had a serious impact on the island's activity and the plantation. Abandoned, the plantation grew up in weeds. In 1912, Howard Coffin, Hudson Motors executive, bought the island and reclaimed the land and waters surrounding it, farming and fishing shrimp and oysters. Coffin sold Sapelo in 1934 to tobacco heir Richard Jay Reynolds, Jr. Seeing potential for scientific research, Reynolds created the Sapelo Island Research Foundation, Inc. in 1950. He then helped the University of Georgia set up laboratory facilities, a building formerly used as dairy barns. This was the beginning of the present University of Georgia Marine Institute. This is truly "an island in time".

Lunch: Lunch will be on Sapelo Island.

Afternoon: Conclude the Sapelo field trip in the afternoon. Ferry leaves at 2:30 pm for the mainland.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: We will have a wine and cheese farewell before dinner. The evening will be yours to socialize and say good bye to your newfound friends.

Morning: Lecture and wrap up. Program departure time is between 10:30 - 11:00 AM. Enjoy a lively lecture about colonial dress. Men and women will connect to this program as the instructor dresses a participant in the appropriate atire for the historical era. It is a great way to end a week that you can't wait to tell friends about.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities

Redfern VillageDelightful shops, tree lined walks, and beguiling boutiques... it must be Redfern Village. Experience a day and evening in our picturesque setting for a one-of-a-kind shopping and dining experience. Browse in our unique specialty stores, pamper yourself in one of our fine salons and day spas, and indulge your palate with one of many diverse dining choices.For additional information, visit: www.saintsimons.com/redfernvillage/

Important information about your itinerary: Please know that while we do everything we can to finalize all aspects of our programs well in advance, there are logistics that occasionally must be altered. Our website will reflect the most recent information, and we are committed to providing you with final program details no later than eight weeks prior to the start of programs outside the U.S. and three weeks prior to the start of programs within the U.S. If you ever have questions about your program, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

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The latest in light, portable, easy-to-use QUIETVOX listening devices are available on Road Scholar programs.* Whether you are outdoors, in a crowd or in a museum environment where speaking loudly is discouraged, a listening device makes it feel like our experts are speaking clearly and directly to you. Hear for yourself on a Road Scholar adventure!

*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!